Changing Format and Precision of Numeric Controls and Indicators

By default, LabVIEW displays and stores numbers like a calculator. A numeric control or indicator displays up to six digits before automatically switching to exponential notation. You can configure the number of digits for the control or indicator, digital displays, and tip strips that LabVIEW displays before switching to exponential notation in the Display Format page of the Numeric Properties dialog box.

Complete the following steps to change the format and precision of a numeric object.

1. Right-click the numeric object and select Display Format from the shortcut menu to display the Display Format page of the Numeric Properties dialog box.
2. Select a format from the Type listbox. If the representation of the numeric object is floating-point, you cannot display the number as hexadecimal, octal, or binary.
3. Use the Digits and Precision Type options to change the precision of the number, if necessary. The precision you select affects only the display of the value. The internal accuracy still depends on the representation.

Note  Select Advanced editing mode to display the text options that let you enter format strings directly. Enter format strings to customize the numeric precision of the control.

4. To change the format and precision of the digital display, select Digital Display from the Apply to pull-down menu and repeat steps 2 and 3. The tip strip uses the same format and precision as the digital display of the control. If the control has more than one digital display, the tip strip uses the format and precision of the digital display that corresponds to the currently active needle or slider. The Apply to pull-down menu appears only for items that include a digital display.
5. Click the OK button.

You also can use the Digital properties to configure format and precision programmatically.